The Whittlin' & Fiddlin' Festival

The Whittlin' & Fiddlin' Festival Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from The Whittlin' & Fiddlin' Festival, Landmark & historical place, 210 Oak Street, Leslie, AR.

71 years ago, Colliers Magazine came to the Ozarks and named our town, Leslie, AR, the “Whittling Capital of America.” This festival is in honor of the heritage of Leslie and keeping it alive for future generations!

🎻🎻 BIG FIDDLIN’ FRIDAY ANNOUNCEMENT! 🎻🎻CALLIN’ ALL FIDDLERS!We’ve been keeping a little something under our hats… and to...
09/05/2026

🎻🎻 BIG FIDDLIN’ FRIDAY ANNOUNCEMENT! 🎻🎻

CALLIN’ ALL FIDDLERS!

We’ve been keeping a little something under our hats… and today we’re finally ready to let the possum out of the bag. 😂

For the very first time, Leslie’s Whittlin’ & Fiddlin’ Festival is introducing the…

🏆🎻 1ST ANNUAL GRAND FIDDLIN’ CONTEST! 🎻🏆

And before anybody gets nervous — this ain’t your ordinary fiddle contest.

We’re lookin’ for fiddlers who want to get on stage, play some good music, have some fun and entertain a crowd!

Fancy scorecards and musical theory can take a back seat. This one is about the music, the personality, the fun and THE CROWD!

Because around here…

📣 THE CROWD DECIDES!

We’ve got some good-natured competition planned, some wonderfully ridiculous awards to hand out, and of course the coveted…

🏆 GOLDEN POSSUM AWARD
The Official Whittlin’ & Fiddlin’ Crowd Favorite!

Whether you’re a seasoned fiddler, a front-porch picker, someone who hasn’t dusted off that fiddle in years, or a younger player ready to show us what you’ve got — WE WANT YOU ON THAT STAGE!

🎻 Bring your fiddle!
🎶 Bring your accompaniment!
👏 Bring your friends to cheer you on!
😄 And bring your sense of humor!

🪵 FIRST WE WHITTLE. THEN WE FIDDLE! 🎻

At 12 NOON, we’ll gather for our WORLD RECORD ATTEMPT — and immediately afterward, the Grand Fiddlin’ Contest takes the stage!

And you don’t have to make up your mind today.

👉 SIGN UP AHEAD OF TIME OR ENTER THE DAY OF THE FESTIVAL!

So tag that fiddler you know.

Tag the one who plays all the time.

Tag the one who says, “Oh, I’m not good enough for a contest.”

THIS is the contest for them. 😁

📅 Saturday, September 19, 2026
📍 Downtown Leslie, Arkansas
🪵 World Record Attempt — NOON
🎻 Grand Fiddlin’ Contest — immediately following

Come help us make a little history, make a little music, and start a brand-new Whittlin’ & Fiddlin’ tradition.

WHERE THE FIDDLE PLAYS, THE CROWD DECIDES…
AND THE POSSUM GOES HOME WITH SOMEBODY! 😂🏆🎻

09/03/2026

Whittlin' Wednesday is skipped due to BIG news coming on Fiddlin' Friday! Follow us!

08/27/2026

🪵 WHITTLIN’ WEDNESDAY — 71 YEARS IN THE MAKING! 🪵
On September 2, 1955, Leslie, Arkansas found itself in the pages of Collier’s Magazine — and our little Ozark town earned a pretty unforgettable title:
🪵 “The Whittling Capital of America” 🪵
The story celebrated something that was simply part of everyday life in Leslie — men sitting along the streets, pocketknives in hand, turning pieces of wood into curls of shavings, conversation and sometimes something pretty remarkable.
71 years later, we’re still whittlin’.
And at the 2nd Annual Whittlin’ & Fiddlin’ Festival, we aren't just remembering that heritage — we're bringing it back to life.
Throughout the day you'll have the chance to meet master whittlers, experienced woodcarvers and talented craftspeople who will be demonstrating their skills, sharing what they know and helping others learn.
🪵 Watch a master whittler at work
🔪 Learn some of the techniques yourself
👐 Meet artisans creating handmade goods
🎨 See traditional craftsmanship happening right in front of you
And then we're taking woodcarving to a MUCH bigger scale…
🦅 CHAINSAW CARVING!
A talented and well-known local chainsaw carver, known to many simply as “Termite,” will be demonstrating throughout the day.
If you’ve seen the beautiful Eagle Memorial beside the flagpole at Leslie City Hall, you’ve already seen his work — and you can also spot another of his carvings outside Brick House Artisans, purchased during last year’s Whittlin’ & Fiddlin’ Festival.
From the quiet scrape of a pocketknife against a piece of wood to the roar of a chainsaw transforming a log into art, this is craftsmanship you get to experience — not just look at.
And don't forget…
🌎🪵 AT HIGH NOON, WE WHITTLE FOR THE RECORD BOOKS! 🪵🌎
We're gathering whittlers together for our WORLD RECORD ATTEMPT, and we need YOU to help us fill Downtown Leslie with whittlers and wood shavings!
📅 Saturday, September 19, 2026
📍 Downtown Leslie, Arkansas
🕛 World Record Attempt at NOON
For one day, we're bringing the Whittling Capital of America back to life.
Come watch. Come learn. Come WHITTLE with us. 🪵❤️

🎉 **GIVEAWAY TIME — AND YOUR ENTRY COUNTS TOWARD OUR BIG EVENT RAFFLE🎟️ !** 🎉We’re getting ready for the **Whittlin’ & F...
08/20/2026

🎉 **GIVEAWAY TIME — AND YOUR ENTRY COUNTS TOWARD OUR BIG EVENT RAFFLE🎟️ !** 🎉

We’re getting ready for the **Whittlin’ & Fiddlin’ Festival in Leslie, Arkansas**, and we want to hear what YOU love about Leslie/The Ozarks!

𝗧𝗼 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿:
👉 **𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗟𝗲𝘀𝗹𝗶𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗦 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝘂𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗮𝘃𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗢𝘇𝗮𝗿𝗸𝘀!**
OR
👉 ** 𝗧𝗮𝗴 𝗮 𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗮𝗹**

🎟️ One winner will receive 3 ENTRIES into our BIG raffle drawing at the Whittlin’ & Fiddlin’ Festival!

WINNER WILL BE SELECTED ON THURSDAY, AUGUST 27TH.

And while you’re making plans to join us, here’s what’s happening throughout the day:

https://whittlinandfiddlin.com/

08/20/2026

🪵 IT’S WHITTLIN’ WEDNESDAY! 🪵
Grab a piece of wood, find a shady spot, and get those wood shavings flyin’ — Whittlin’ & Fiddlin’ is getting closer!
On Saturday, September 19, Downtown Leslie will come alive for our 2nd Annual Whittlin’ & Fiddlin’, celebrating the craftsmanship, music, and mountain-town character that make our corner of Arkansas special.

Whittling may look simple — just a knife and a piece of wood — but anyone who’s tried it knows there’s a whole lot of patience, skill, creativity and storytelling wrapped up in those little curls of wood. 🪵
And YES… we REALLY want to see some whittlin’ on festival day!
🌎 🪵 BECAUSE AT NOON, WE’RE GOING FOR A WORLD RECORD! 🪵 🌎
That’s right! At 12:00 NOON, we’re planning a WORLD RECORD ATTEMPT — and we need a whole bunch of folks whittlin’ together to help us do it! More than 285 to be exact!

Experienced whittler? We need you.
Haven’t whittled in years? We need you.
Ready to give whittlin’ a try? We need you, too! We even have dove soap and butter knives for the young ones!

We want to fill Downtown Leslie with whittlers, wood shavings and enough community spirit to put our little Arkansas town in the record books!
📅 Saturday, September 19, 2026
⏰ World Record Attempt — NOON (Event time 9am-4pm)
📍 Downtown Leslie, Arkansas
🪵 WHITTLIN’ WEDNESDAY QUESTION:
Who’s willing to WHITTLE WITH US for the record attempt? 👇
Tag your whittlin’ friends and help us spread the word!

08/15/2026

🎻 IT’S FIDDLIN’ FRIDAY! 🎻

We’re counting down to the 2nd Annual Whittlin’ & Fiddlin’ in Downtown Leslie!

Last year we brought whittlin’, fiddlin’, music, neighbors, visitors, and a whole lot of fun together for the first time — and on September 19, we’re doing it again!

Between now and festival day, we’re celebrating Fiddlin’ Friday each week as we get ready for year TWO! 🎻

There’s just something about the sound of a fiddle that belongs in the Arkansas hills, and we can’t wait to hear it filling Downtown Leslie again.

🪵 Whittlers will be whittlin’
🎻 Fiddlers will be fiddlin’
🎶 Music will be playin’
🤝 And friends, neighbors & visitors will be gathering!

📅 Saturday, September 19, 2026
📍 Downtown Leslie, Arkansas

Help us make our second year even bigger and better than the first!

Tag someone who needs to spend the day in Leslie with you. ❤️

Sad news to report… Arkansas has lost a living treasure… Ms Violet Brumley Hensley at age 109 has passed away… We had hi...
08/07/2026

Sad news to report… Arkansas has lost a living treasure… Ms Violet Brumley Hensley at age 109 has passed away… We had high hopes that we would be blessed again at our Festival this year with the “one and only Whittlin’ Fiddler” but we know she will be with us in spirit! Our deepest sympathies to all her family, friends, and all that were touched by her amazing talent of not only playing and making fiddles, but teaching, entertaining and showing true grit in her life! May we all remember her with a smile and a song. We have been blessed by just knowing you… rest in peace Ms, Violet, you will be missed! 🙏🏻🎻❤️

Leslie, Arkansas Whittlin' and Fiddlin' My Own Way - The Violet Hensley Story

Happy August Everyone! Don't forget to mark your calendars for a fun Saturday in Leslie, Arkansas - September 19th! ...
08/01/2026

Happy August Everyone! Don't forget to mark your calendars for a fun Saturday in Leslie, Arkansas - September 19th!
Searcy County Arkansas Chamber Of Commerce

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210 Oak Street
Leslie, AR

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